*Naveen with Bianca as she holds the key to her family’s new home in Richmond.*

Naveen and his young family have found happiness in Richmond as a Partner Family with Habitat for Humanity Greater Vancouver.

He arrived in 2017 and rented a single room in a shared house. While functional for a season, Naveen’s housing situation needed to change once he got married.

His wife, Nithya, came to join him in Canada in 2019. They tried to make the single bedroom work but it was a challenge. After a few months, they were able to find a new place to rent that had a private bathroom and kitchen. The additional privacy was a huge help to their mental health, but the space was still small. They had no laundry in the unit and Naveen was working two jobs to help pay the bills with only one day off a week.

After they had their first daughter, things became even more challenging. Without any family in Canada, they had no support and had to manage on their own.

“It was really hard for us,” Naveen explains. “My daughter Bianca already had no room to play. Then my wife became pregnant with our second, Ivanka.”

*Nithya holding baby Ivanka, standing with Bianca and Naveen.*

Naveen knew he would need to find a bigger space to live. Because he used to live in Saskatchewan, he considered going back there. He enjoyed the prairie community and felt it would be impossible to ever get a house in Richmond. But after talking with one of his friends, he learned about Habitat for Humanity and the Partner Family housing program. The option to exit the rental cycle move into an affordable home was an excellent way to stay in Richmond, the city he had come to love.

“When I do something, if the probability is really low, I won’t try it,” says Naveen. “But when I was looking at this opportunity, I had a good feeling.”

Naveen followed that good feeling, applied, and was accepted to the program in 2022. They are now happily living in a brand new, two-bedroom home with not only a garden and in-suite laundry, but also a community of other Habitat Partner Families right next door.

“Now we have a backyard and more space,” says Naveen. “We planted an apple tree and now we see apples. I can garden, plant vegetables. I love planting in the summers. We have flowers on the side too. It’s so nice to be out. I have no words to explain, but I love it.”

Naveen says that from a young age, his dad taught him the value of giving back to others.

“If you give back, it will come back to you,” Naveen explains, adding that it’s one of the things he likes at the work that Habitat does. “It’s all about people helping people. No one sees it all, it takes lots of forms. Donors don’t have to help, but they do. My whole family is thankful. Without donors, this wouldn’t be possible.”

One year after taking possession of their Habitat home, Naveen and his family are thriving. They have a home in the city they love, a community to support them, and an opportunity to save.

“I want to live a peaceful happy life. Having a little family, its cute, I’m happy. Saving a bit. Here I am right now, peaceful job, peaceful family, everything is good. I’m really thankful for Habitat,” Naveen explains, adding that he wishes more opportunities like this existed in Canada so more families could benefit.

Click here to learn more about becoming a Partner Family.

One Year With Habitat | Naveen and Nithya’s Story